The problem of scavengers remains a headache for residents near the closed Vondeling municipal dumping site. Municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi said on Tuesday that no scavengers were allowed onto the old site. As for those still living just outside of the site, Bobodi said the matter was to be referred to the police.

Fines for illegal dumping at old Vondeling site

Date: 15 October 2017 By: Andries van Zyl

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Residents are urged not to continue dumping their household rubbish along the Vondeling Road at the old municipal dumping site outside Louis Trichardt.

Makhado Municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi warned on Tuesday that residents who are too lazy to drive to the new municipal dumping site will be fined if they are caught dumping at the old Vondeling site. He indicated that the Vondeling site officially closed on 30 June this year and that residents were well informed to make use of the new municipal dumping site southwest of the town along the municipal airfield road. The only legal dumping that is currently taking place at the old site is soil that is needed to cap the waste as part of the rehabilitation process.

Apart from some ignorant people still dumping their waste at the old site along the Vondeling road, the problem of scavengers remains a headache for residents near the closed Vondeling site. When the site was in operation, several members of the community complained about being harassed by the scavengers. To date, many of these scavengers still live in make-shift squatter shacks at the main entrance to the old site. Many believe that this holds a security risk for landowners and road users.

Regarding the safety aspect, Bobodi said that they had appointed security personnel at the old site and that nobody, including the scavengers, was allowed onto the terrain. “Inside the landfill site we are permitted to remove them [scavengers]; however, on the outside the matter will be referred to the SAPS,” said Bobodi.

Another burning question is when the rehabilitation of the old Vondeling site will begin?

Bobodi confirmed that the municipality have started with planning and that they are in the process of appointing a service provider. “A service provider has not yet been appointed. It [the rehabilitation process] will be done in phases; however, the time frame is three years,” said Bobodi. The rehabilitation process will entail flattening the site, capping the waste with suitable soil, planting vegetation over the site and constructing V-drains, stormwater channels and a leachate collection dam.

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Makhado Municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi warned on Tuesday that residents who are too lazy to drive to the new municipal dumping site will be fined if they are caught dumping at the old Vondeling site.

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